Canon in D
J.Pachelbel / Arr. Riku Fujita
Level-3 ★★★☆☆
Video
Performance + Slow TAB Tutorial
Sheet Music
Included in Books
Test Book 1
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Test Book 2
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About This Piece
Canon in D is one of the best-known works by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel.
Its calm, lyrical melody is built over a repeating bass pattern, creating a beautiful and gradually unfolding musical texture. Today, the piece is widely performed at weddings and frequently appears in films, television, and other media.
The chord progression used in this work has become famous as the "Canon progression." It has influenced countless pieces of modern music, including pop and rock, making this composition a lasting musical legacy more than 300 years after Pachelbel's death.
Playing Tips
Although this arrangement is titled Canon in D, it is played with a capo on the 2nd fret. The fingering is based on the key of C major, and placing the capo on the second fret raises the sounding key to D major.
Throughout the entire piece, the harmony repeats the following eight-chord progression:
C → G → Am → Em → F → C → F → G
This is the famous Canon progression.
Chord symbols are intentionally omitted from the score, but the arrangement follows a consistent pattern: each chord begins with a half-note bass note, followed by the melody. Keeping track of the current chord will make the piece easier to understand, memorize, and perform with a stronger sense of musical direction.
Piece Information
- Composer
- J.Pachelbel
- Arranger
- Riku Fujita
- Difficulty
- Level-3 ★★★☆☆
- Tuning
- Regular Tuning
- Capo
- 2